THE POPULARITY OF POINSETTIAS

How this festive grower became a symbol of the holiday season.

More than 34 million poinsettias are sold each year, making them the most popular potted plants in the U.S. The poinsettia was introduced by Joel Roberts Poinsett in the 1820s after he found it growing in Mexico, and by the 1900s, it was a holiday mainstay. The plant even has its very own holiday of sorts— Dec. 12 is National Poinsettia Day!